1994 Jeep Wrangler - YJ’s Rule!

It’s readily available and easy to modify, and if you get the 4.0L inline-six, it has a great engine. Oh yeah, it’s inexpensive. It’s the YJ Wrangler, the Jeep that makes it “hip to be square.”

One of the best new trends is to keep the tires big and the ride height low. This requires body mods. One method is to cut your hood and use a set of high-cut fenders to match. Another way to go is to use Metalcloak’s “Overline” fenders which arch above the hood’s lower line and give you the clearance you’re after sans hood mods. Mark uses Bilstein’s monotube shocks on all four corners.

Lakeside, California’s Mark Saxton can tell you all about it. Mark picked up the ’94 YJ secondhand for $3,000. It was bone stock when purchased, giving Mark a clean canvas on which to craft his trail rig. The low purchase price left cash in his pocket to make some big-ticket upgrades, improving the YJ by addressing some factory-supplied weaknesses.

The windshield banner may say “Redneck Rollercoaster,” but you don’t have to be a redneck to enjoy a YJ. You just have to be smart enough to build one.